JASPER, Alberta — A wildfire that destroyed buildings in Jasper less than 48 hours… became a “monster” that firefighters were helpless to stop, says Parks Canada. …Mike Flannigan, a wildfire expert and professor at Kamloops’ Thompson Rivers University, says a trifecta of weather, geography and fuels can determine the severity of a wildfire. The forest is dense, and full of dead, dry lodgepole pine trees destroyed by a mountain pine beetle infestation. Flannigan said that strong wind funnelled the fire and its detritus down the valley toward the townsite. He said the blaze became so large, it created its own thunderstorm. …Daniel Perrakis is a fire research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service said… The fire should renew a conversation about the work all forested Canadian communities could be doing. Those mitigations include thinning the surrounding forest, removing dead wood, constructing buildings with less flammable materials and considering more controlled burns and traditional Indigenous fire practices.